Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams
by Shao Kahn II
Summary: Millennia ago, a dark force threatened reality, now the entity has risen once again and plans to absorb all worlds. Luckily, Sora and friends stand in its way. Uber crossover of various anime and video games.
1. Prologue

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Prelude

Fear. That one simple word is the one of the most powerful forces in all of reality. Fear changes us, twists us into thieves and liars. It has spawned persecutions, genocides, even wars. Since the first living thing drew breath it has existed. Until the last heart ceases beating it will always exist. Fear is always there, no matter how far to the back of your mind it is. Normally we live along side Fear, accepting that it is a part of the natural order. But now, Fear threatens to destroy everything we know and love.

_"We've gotta run… cannot escape me… there's nothing you can do… won't let you control me… get out… if I have to burn down all of Paris… won't leave you behind… too strong… such dangerous toys… shoulda taken my deal… my world now… put you out of your misery… should never have come here… can't be the end… I am invincible… welcome to Singapore… 530,000… never allow you… I am the morning and the evening star… and I pass it now… will stop you… Sora!"_


	2. The Enigmatic Messenger

**adrogoz: That was a preview. I was building suspense and giving clues as to some of the worlds they'll see.**

**Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams**

**Chapter One: The Enigmatic Messenger**

"Where am I?" he said.

"I don't know, where are you?" said a voice, "Are you here or there? Who's to say? Or perhaps you're neither here nor there. What in this life is certain, Sora?"

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"There is much I know, and there is also much I do not know," it said.

"Okay, this is getting annoying," he said, "Can't you just give me a straight answer?"

"What fun would that be?" it asked, "You have to figure _some _things out on your own, it's no fun if I just give you all the answers."

"What answers?" he asked, "Why did you bring me here, who are you?"

"Oh, me? Just a little someone you've never heard of," it replied, "Just trying to give you fair warning. You see, I believe it's only fair to let someone know when their world's about to come crashing down around them."

"Crashing down?" asked Sora, "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Now, now, I've already told you more than my master would like," it said, "All will be revealed in time, Keybearer, though whether you'll be around when it is I can't say. Well, I really must be on my way. Bye."

"Wait!" Sora yelled out, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be around? How do you know about the Keyblade? Come back! I still have questions for you! Come back!"

"Sora," he didn't answer.

"Hello in there," still nothing.

"Earth to Sora!" she was getting ticked off now.

"Get up!" he finally responded, to the throbbing pain of a swift kick in the head, that is.

"Ow!" he yelled, looking up to see a girl with dark red hair, her hands were on her hips and she didn't look pleased, "Kairi! What'd you do that for?"

"It's almost noon and you were _still _asleep!" she shouted.

"You're one to talk," said a laughing voice, "you've only been up for about 15 minutes."

"That- he- not," she stammered, turning red. Sora and Riku laughed at their best friend's reaction, and after a while she joined in too.

"Ugh, all this laughter is grating on my nerves," said a voice unheard by any of them. Far away in a different dimension all together, two glowing red eyes stared out from the darkness, observing the scene with a disdainful glare.

"I'd so much rather hear the ants scream," it said in a bored tone, "But there's nothing to be done until his memories of that little dream kick in. Let's fast forward with a little illusion, shall we? Heh, heh, heh."

Meanwhile, back on Destiny Islands, the laughter had finally died down, but when Sora opened his mouth to continue the conversation, he found his friends were long gone.

"What the hell?" he said as he looked around the decidedly darker-than-usual island. There was shadowy glare to everything, like a TV screen in the wrong light. A whooshing sound turned his attention to a dark red sky, from which many black, metallic shapes were falling. One of the objects landed several feet from him, and as he attempted to make out just what it was, he heard a series of clicks and whirs behind the dense cloud of dust followed by a few sickening squelching sounds.

The smoke finally cleared to reveal the most bizarre thing he had ever laid eyes on, and he'd seen plenty of weird in his time. The thing had a mostly mechanical body that looked like a box connected by a thin metal rod with teeth like a saw to another box shaped like a pair of shorts. Grotesque purplish black tentacles with claws at the end extended from holes in the segments. And finally, in a place that would be a neck hole on a shirt, was a hideous, worm-like head with a maw full of razor sharp teeth twitching around on its long neck.

The creature let out an inhuman roar and lunged at Sora. He flung his arms in front of his face, expecting its needle-like teeth to bore into his flesh. But none came. When let his arms drop to his side, the island was exactly as it was on any other day. The hideous beast was gone and in its place was a stretch of sand, sea, and sky.

"Sora?" said a voice. He wheeled around to see his friends right where he had left them.

"Are you… feeling okay?" Kairi asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah… I just," he said. Then suddenly he remembered the dream. He had been told his world was about to come crashing down, that he might not live long enough to find out what the voice was trying to tell him. Was what he had seen a vision of the future? Were the black objects about to come barreling into the island? Was he about to lose Kairi again?

"Bingo!" said the entity as it watched the look of fear creep onto Sora's face.

A shadow appeared on the beach behind Kairi and Riku, they didn't see the armored hand reaching up out of it.

"Look out!" cried Sora as he pushed them out of the way a gigantic sword. The owner was nine-foot tall knight in black armor.

"What is that thing?" Kairi shrieked.

"A Heartless?" Riku wondered aloud.

"_KYAAAA!_" it cried out as it raised its sword for another attack.

"Whatever it is," said Sora, "LET'S GET THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!"

"Mwa, hah, hah, hah, I love this show," laughed the entity, "But let's see what's playing on Nintendo TV." The image fluctuated to a man in a red cap, a fat penguin-like creature with a mallet, a boy dressed in green, and a tall redheaded man with dark skin and black clothes fighting off a group of strange black creatures.

"Ah perfect, it's another installment of Heartless versus Morons!" it cackled.

"Watch your back, Dedede!" shouted the man in red. The penguin creature turned and sent one of the shadow creatures flying.

"I thought Master Hand could keep the Heartless out," said the man in black as he kicked a group of them, "How did they get here?"

"Worry about that when they're dead, Ganondorf!" shouted Dedede. After a few more minutes of attacking the Heartless, the field had been cleared.

"I'm growing bored of this show," said the entity, "I think a new character is in order. Now, let's see, which one… ah, perfect. Tomorrow's episode should be more fun. Now, let's see how my pet project is doing."

It returned to the image of the gigantic knight pursuing Sora, Riku, and Kairi. They had summoned their Keyblades, but couldn't get close enough to the giant to do any damage. Their plan: Run from the giant until they came up with a new one.

"We've gotta get closer," said Sora.

"Gee, you don't say," said a sarcastic Riku.

"How do we know the Keyblades will even work on this thing?" Kairi asked, "I don't think it's a Heartless or a Nobody."

"They're the only weapon we have, so we pretty much have to hope that they can hurt it," said Sora.

"_RUN, RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME, I'M THE KYOFU MAN!"** (A.N. I know, it's a stupid name, it's from the Japanese word for terror. Hey, it's time we got a not-so-cool villain to fight.)**_

"Great, so now it's big, strong, _and_ it talks in annoying rhymes," said Kairi.

"That's it," said Sora as came to a halt, "There's no way I'm running from a nursery rhyme spewing Round Table reject!" He charged the Kyofu man, as it called itself. The gargantuan knight was stunned at the sudden change in the young Keybearer's tactics, which left it wide open for a powerful strike from his blade. To his surprise, the giant started to laugh.

"_FOOLISH BOY_," it said, "_THAT PATHETIC TOOTHPICK COULD NEVER HOPE TO SCRATCH ME. I WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO FIGHT KEYBEARERS. BUT I'LL SAVE CRUSHING YOU FOR ANOTHER DAY. I REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN THIS LONG TO DO THIS."_ The Kyofu man raised his sword and plunged it into the ground.

"_TEN TO JI NO HAKAI*!" _Dark beams of light began erupting from the ground, culminating in a powerful explosion that sent the trio flying. The last thing either of them saw before slipping into unconsciousness was a huge, planet-sized explosion.

"And so the first play is made," said the entity.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (that is to say, back at the Smash Mansion) Ganondorf was telling the other Smashers of his suspicions about Master Hand.

"He would have done something by now!" he shouted, "Can't you see that something's not right here? Master Hand has never allowed Heartless in our world and suddenly armies of them are attacking us! Something must be wrong with him or this wouldn't be happening!"

"Master Hand can make mistakes," said Zelda, "He's been doing this for a long time, it's natural for him to slip up."

"He has Crazy Hand to back him up," said Ganondorf.

"Crazy's a flake," said Bowser, "He just floats around twitching and babbling."

"I'm with Ganondorf," said MetaKnight, "Master Hand and Crazy Hand are more than capable of holding off the Heartless."

"We should at least check on him," said Ganondorf, "What harm could it do?" Before the others could answer, a resounding crash sounded outside.

"What the hell was that?" said Samus as they all rushed outside to see what had happened. They found a young teenage boy with spiky brown hair lying in a crater clutching a Keyblade.

"Great," said Bowser, "First we get Heartless attacking left and right, and now we got kids falling out of the sky."

"That's more than a kid, Bowser," said Zelda, "That's a Keybearer."


	3. The First Strike

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Chapter Two: The First Strike

"What a beautiful day for an apocalypse," said a dark figure as his cold, red eyes surveyed a lush green valley. His head was domed and looked like a plastic container filled with purple mist. The dome was cut off by a metallic face framed in black leather. The abomination was 12 feet tall and seated on a massive throne of black marble. His leather armor was covered in red markings and he had a gold ring around each of his upper arms.

"Master Gemoba*," said an armored man standing next to him, "We are in position." This man was no taller than the average human. His armor was made of black metal rather than leather and he wore a helmet that covered everything but his glowing red eyes. There was a black heart emblazoned on his chest, a clenched fist drawn inside it. On top of his helmet was a bright red horn that pointed straight up.

"Thank you, Hametsu,**" said Gemoba. A light washed over the image of the peaceful world and it became a portal hovering in its atmosphere. The animals below (it was an alternate Earth in which humans did not exist) looked up to see the gigantic robed figure looming over them and were terrified. They ran every-which-way, hoping that by some act of fate they could escape from him.

"Foolish little beasts," he said as he extended his arm, "There is nowhere in this world that is safe from me now."

As he said this dark energy began to concentrate around his hand. It flew into the portal in the form of a spearhead. The animals uttered cries of fear and alarm as the spearhead hit their planet. The energy spread out, encompassing the entire planet. It destroyed the animals as it touched them and caused all of the plant life to wither and die. The atmosphere was completely burned away by the intense blast and there was a massive crater at the point of impact.

"Ah, the true beauty of destruction," said Gemoba, "Have you ever seen such a lovely sight, Hametsu?"

"There is no beauty but that which exists in ruin," said Hametsu somewhat robotically

"Yes, but we've no time to marvel at this work of art," he said, "We have beautiful destruction to cause, we can take in the beauty once our work is done."

"Right," said Hametsu. He held his hand in front of his face and clenched his fist. With that the planet seemed to implode.

"That's one less annoying world to wash away and one more servant for our master," cackled Gemoba.

* * *

><p>"The Keyblade's been entrusted to a child?" said Meta Knight, "What are the worlds coming to?"<p>

"Well the Keyblade doesn't just choose anyone," said Pitt, "Maybe he's got some special power or something."

"Well, in any case we should probably get him inside and try to wake him up," said Peach.

"Right," said Mario as he grabbed the boy's shoulders, "C'mon Luigi, help-a me out here."

"O-okay," said Luigi as he grabbed his feet.

"How do you think he got here?" said Samus.

"What matters is, can he fight?" said Link.

"Something must have happened to him," said Marth, "He wouldn't have just come crashing out of the sky if he'd come on purpose."

Elsewhere, a man in black was trudging through the forest, interrupted in his trek by a high voice.

"Ganondorf, wait!" yelled Kirby as his stubby legs tried to keep up with the Gerudo king.

"Quit following me, you pesky puffball!" he yelled over his shoulder, "I don't need help, especially not from you!"

"Ganondorf," said a deeper voice, "I must insist that you accompany us back to the mansion. If there really is something wrong with Master Hand you'll need the others to back you up."

"If I want your advice I'll ask for it, MewTwo," said Ganondorf, "I'm going to find out what's going on at Final Destination."

"Not without us you're not," said a growling voice. Ganondorf looked behind him to see Bowser and Wario catch up to him.

"If Master Hand's in trouble, I'm gonna help him, whether you like it or not," said the large Koopa.

"You, I understand," said Ganondorf, "But why is fatso over there coming."

"He said it sounded like fun," said Bowser. MewTwo suddenly jerked his head toward a thicket of trees.

"What is it?" said Kirby.

"I sense someone over there, someone I've never sensed in the Smash World before," he said.

"Maybe it's whoever's been sending the Heartless," said Wario, "Come on, let's go!" He took off into the trees on his motorcycle while the others ran in after him. They came to a clearing and found the most unlikely source of the disturbance: a red-haired girl holding a gold Keyblade.

"A Keybearer?" said Bowser.

"Since when do Keybearers fall from the sky?" said Ganondorf.

"Maybe she was attacked on the way here," said Kirby.

"If she was I don't want to meet what did it," said MewTwo.

"We should probably bring her to the others," said Bowser.

"But what about Master Hand?" said Ganondorf.

"We'll check with him later," said MewTwo, "She may be hurt, we should to get her to the others." He telekinetically lifted the girl up and set off back to the Smash Mansion.

Meanwhile, Sora was out cold, but not entirely alone.

"I'm impressed, Keybearer," said the voice that had come to him before the attack, "No casualties in the first encounter."

"You again," he said irritated, "What do you want?"

"So hostile," it said, "I'm just offering my congratulations, you deserve it! Not many walk away from a Phearmonger attack, well, not without killing it anyway. You should be proud."

"Phearmonger?" he asked, "What's that? And just give me a straight answer for once."

"What does it matter what they are?" it asked, "All that matters is you're going to have to kill a lot of them soon. In fact the next one should be along shortly. And don't worry about your little friends, they're taken care of, I can assure you."

"What do you mean?" said Sora, "What did you do to them?"

"Hostile _and_ accusing, I like you already," it said, "I've done nothing. And we're just about out of time, so I really must be going."

"Wait! Why won't you answer me? Where are my friends?" he called out.

"Anyone ever tell you that you talk in your sleep?" said a woman's voice.

Sora opened his eyes and saw a woman with brown braided hair and a purple dress.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fell from the sky," chimed in another voice belonging to a short monkey with a red cap.

"I what?" he asked.

"You fell," the monkey replied matter-of-factly.

"We noticed you were holding a Keyblade," said a person wearing orange armor. The voice sounded female.

"You know about the Keyblade?" he asked.

"We've got a friend in high places," said a man in gray clothes and a band tied around his head, "What happened, how'd you get here?"

"I'm not sure," he said, "I was with my friends and then… My friends! I have to find them!"

"Easy, kid," said the man in gray as he stopped Sora from getting up, "You just had a long fall, we need to make sure you're okay before you go anywhere. Relax, if your friends are here we'll find them."

"Zelda," said a voice from somewhere outside the room, "We found another one, a girl."

"Bring her here," said the woman. Sora was shocked to see a bipedal, slightly cat-like creature with a long tail walk in, but he was even more shocked by the unconscious figure floating above its three-fingered hand.

"Kairi!" he called out as he pushed past the man in gray and ran to her.

"You know her?" said the woman called Zelda.

"She's one of my best friends," he answered, "What happened to her."

"Don't know," said a gruff voice, "We found her like that." He almost screamed when he turned to see a gigantic mutant turtle with red hair and spikes on its shell.

"What?" it asked, seeing the slightly freaked out look on his face.

"What'd you expect when you sneak up on him like that with a face like yours, Bowser?" said man with red hair and black leather clothes.

"You don't exactly look like a basket of roses, Ganondorf," Bowser shot back.

"At least I don't look like the Tasmanian Devil," replied Ganondorf. Bowser grumbled to himself, unable to come up with a retaliation.

"Where did you find her?" asked Zelda.

"In the forest," said MewTwo, "I felt an unfamiliar presence and when we went to investigate we found her."

"Will she be alright?" asked Sora.

"Definitely," said Zelda, "It's just a slight blow to the head, nothing serious." Zelda held her hands over Kairi's head, and after a flash of light she began to wake up.

"Wh-where am I?" she said in a daze. When her vision cleared Sora was the first thing she saw.

"Sora" she cried out as she flung her arms around his neck, "I was afraid you'd left us again!"

"Do you remember how you got here?" Samus' voice interrupted the reunion.

"Something attacked our island," said Kairi, letting go of Sora as she recounted their story, "We tried to fight it off, but nothing we did seemed to hurt it, then it stuck a huge sword in the ground, there was an explosion, and then I woke up here."

"Was this thing that attacked you pitch black with yellow eyes?" asked the cat-like creature.

"You mean like a Heartless?" said Kairi, "No, it was more like a giant knight, besides, a Heartless wouldn't be unharmed by a direct hit with a Keyblade."

"I think we'll have to ask Master Hand about this one," said a short, perfectly round creature wearing a mask and a cape who had entered as Kairi told her story.

"Right," said Zelda, "Tell the others and get the Halberd ready, it'll be faster than walking."

"I'm on it," he replied as he left the room.

"Wait!" said Sora, remembering something, "Did you find someone else? A tall guy with straight silver hair?"

"Nope," said Bowser, "Just you two."

"So you had another friend with you?" said the woman in armor.

"Yeah," said Kairi, "His name's Riku."

"Sonic's probably found him on his run," said Ganondorf, "Unless he wound up at Final Destination or the Battlefield."

"Why don't you come with us?" said Zelda, "We can look for your friend on our way."

"On your way to where?" asked Sora.

"To consult the being that rules this world," said the cat creature, "He's called Master Hand." Just then, the sound of a massive impact shook the mansion and everyone ran outside to see what had happened (whoa, déjà vu).

"Why does everything insist on falling from the sky around here?" said the man in gray. The object of interest was a metal, rectangular, meteorite.

"In my experience, that's not a good sign," said the armored woman. The object made a clicking sound as half of it detached slightly from the rest. It made a whirring sound as the top half was lifted up on a metal rod. There was a noise like helium being pumped into a balloon as the top half spread apart to reveal a small canister filled with a purple liquid. Two round areas on the sides of the top half opened and clawed tentacles wormed their way out of them. The lower half widened and separated so that it resembled shorts. Two more tentacles came out of the lower half, followed by a worm-like head to come out of the top half.

Sora gasped, this was the beast from his vision!

"Now this," said someone watching in a distant realm, "is entertainment!"

* * *

><p><strong>(a.n.) Dun, dun, dun! Looks like Sora, Kairi, and the Smashers have a fight on their hands. Next chapter is where the action begins and where I (probably) explain what the hell a Phearmonger is, and that's not a typo, I'm intentionally spelling it Phearmonger.<strong>

_*_derived from Gemuoba, Japanese for Game Over.

** Japanese word for "Ruin"


	4. What is a Phearmonger?

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Chapter Three: What is a Phearmonger?

**Pmiranda13:** The story takes place after Kingdom Hearts 2. And in case you're wondering, for the Super Smash Bros. timeline it's after the Smashers defeat Tabuu in Brawl.

A blue blur was quickly dashing over the mountains, moving from the foot to the peak of each in about a second. Sonic the Hedgehog loved running more than anything in the world, the rush of the wind in his fur, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through his body, the thrill of seeing the landscapes pass in blurs as he sped through them, but every now and then he stopped to take a look at the beauty of the natural world. But when he looked this time, the picture perfect land was marred by a crater that he was certain hadn't been there before.

In the blink of an eye he had rushed down to see the cause of the gaping hole in the valley the mountains overlooked. He found in the crater's center the most unlikely sight, a young man of 15 or 16 with silver hair sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Hey!" he called out, the crater was surprisingly deep, "How'd you get down there?"

"That's what I want to know," the boy called back. He got up and made his way up the steep slope the force of what was apparently his fall had carved in the ground.

"You're not from around here, huh?" said Sonic.

"No," replied the boy, "I was separated from my friends when something attacked our world. Have you seen anyone else about my age around here?"

"I haven't, but I've got some friends who might," said Sonic, remembering that he had skipped out on an important meeting, "I can take you to 'em, c'mon, follow me."

"Thanks, my name's Riku, by the way," said Riku.

"I'm Sonic," he replied, "Sonic the Hedgehog."

"I'd hoped for them to be a little more scattered," said the ever-vigilant entity, "But I suppose it makes it easier for Paracitus to remove them, although, this does increase the likelihood of them figuring it out. Well, too late to change plans, I suppose I'll just have to hope for the best."

"Is that what attacked you?" Zelda asked Sora.

"No, but the face is familiar," said Sora.

"That qualifies as a face?" said the man in gray.

"Not the time, Snake," said Samus. Judging by the roar it had emitted, the thing was too dull to speak, but smart enough to know when it had been insulted. It angrily extended its neck and tried to sink its fangs into Snake, but he grabbed onto the Cypher and flew above the thing's jagged maw. He dropped down to the left and threw a grenade at it, but its head retracted and avoided the explosion.

"Wario time," said a fat man in a biker outfit that Sora and Kairi hadn't noticed as he stepped out from behind Bowser. His nose was enormous and there was a moustache in a lightning bolt zigzag above his mouth. He hopped onto a motorcycle (which he seemed to have pulled out of thin air) and attempted to ram the creature. Unfortunately, it anticipated this and moved out of the way, causing him to scream comically as he barreled into a rock. At any other time, Sora noted, it would have been hilarious.

Wario growled angrily and tossed his dented bike at the thing, striking it in the head. The force knocked it back, but after issuing a few spluttering noises, it righted itself. The thing extended its neck, this time latching itself onto Wario's stomach. The sound of something being pumped accompanied by bulges in its neck made Sora want to throw up. When it let him go, Wario seemed a little tired and any sign that damage had been done to the beast were gone.

"So it's a parasite," said Samus, "Well suck on this, you freak." She fired a charged ball of energy from her arm cannon that struck the thing in the chest. The tube of liquid cracked from the blow and the edges of the armor were singed.

"Damn!" she said, "I don't know what that armor's made of, but it's strong." While Ganondorf tried his luck, she used her armor to scan the thing, whatever it was. After the suit processed the thing the results appeared on her visor.

Species: Unknown.

Subject has no bones other than vertebrae. Current body structure is the result of artificial enhancement. Armor's molecular structure is extremely dense and is capable of withstanding high amounts of force and energy. Armor composition: Unknown. Subject is capable of siphoning energy from opponents orally. Organic body seems to stem from an unknown chemical compound stored in the chest containing genetic information.

"Hey, Ganondorf," she called out, "Try to break the container on its chest." Ganondorf didn't understand the point of that, but he knew she probably didn't have time to explain her reasoning. He ran up and punched it. The thing let out a shriek of outrage as it grabbed him with one of its tentacles and through him at the bounty hunter.

"Whatever's in their must be important," Samus addressed everyone as she sidestepped Ganondorf's airborne body, "It's obviously trying to protect it."

"Lemme at him, I'll pound that thing into dust!" roared Bowser. He ran at the thing and blasted its head with fire as a distraction. The head writhed in pain and just as Bowser was about to smash the glass, it detached from the rest of it and began the slow process of burning to ash. Bowser laughed triumphantly, thinking he had killed it, but another head sprouted from its chest and bit his neck.

As it sapped Bowser's energy, the cracks in the glass repaired themselves the small burns on the armor disappeared.

"The liquid must contain this creatures DNA," said MewTwo, "When part of it is destroyed, the genetic code regenerates it."

"I'll handle this one," said the small monkey as he pulled out two wooden guns. He began firing peanuts from it at the monster, but only managed one small chip in the glass.

"Allow me," said MewTwo, as he created a dark orb in his palm. The ball hit its target dead on, but did no more damage than Samus' Charge Beam. There was a flash of light and a strange sound as the warriors looked up to see a glowing orb with an odd symbol on it.

"Now's our chance!" cried Zelda, "Samus, use your Zero Laser!"

"I'm on it!" Samus jumped up, attacked the orb, and then started to glow. She took aim with her arm cannon and fired a gigantic energy beam. This seemed to do the trick. The thing's armor was destroyed along with the liquid and what was left was badly burned. Before it could react, Bowser ran up to it and blasted it with fire, laughing as it was burnt to a crisp and silenced once and for all.

"That was amazing!" said Sora as he turned to Samus. He was shocked, and slightly embarrassed, to see her in a very tight blue jumpsuit.

"It's rude to stare," she said in an annoyed tone as Kairi smacked the back of Sora's head. At that moment, a gigantic ship appeared, the front of its hull in the shape of Meta-Knight's mask. The Halberd had arrived.

"About time," said Ganondorf.

"It took me a while to get everybody in," said Meta-Knight in a 'just shut up and be glad I helped out in the first place,' sort of tone.

"While you were taking care of seating arrangements, we were fighting for our lives," said Snake.

"What's got his sword in a knot?" Zelda murmured to MewTwo.

"Probably lost to Kirby again," whispered MewTwo.

After boarding the ship and a painfully long introduction, the Smashers explained Smash World and Master Hand to the two young Keybearers.

"So what's this Master Hand look like?" said Sora.

"Well, as the name implies, like a giant right hand in a white glove," said Lucario.

"So he's just a hand?" asked Kairi.

"'Just a hand,' she says," said Mr. Game and Watch, "That hand has more magic power everyone on this ship put together."

"He's also a very important person," said Peach, "As Smash World's ruler and creator he's invited to all the big meetings."

"Meetings?" asked Sora.

"Of the ruling powers of the universe," said Zelda, "They discuss what's happening in each other's part of existence, debate course of action against the forces of darkness, you know, this and that."

"So, would he know King Mickey?" said Kairi.

"As in Mickey Mouse?" said Pit, "Yeah, they go way back. They've been good friends for a long time."

"Speaking of friends, looks like Sonic finally decided to show up," said Meta-Knight, indicating a blue blur that had made its way to the front of the ship and was headed for the main deck. In a matter of seconds a blue hedgehog was standing before them, setting down a young man with silver hair.

"Riku!"

Meanwhile, something stirred in the ashes the creature had left behind.

"You can come back now, Paracitus," said a voice, "They're gone. You fooled them." A black portal opened and the creature rose up out of it.

"Go, intercept them at Final Destination," said the voice, "The Hands must not tell them what you are." Paracitus responded with a gurgling sound then departed.

After an uneventful flight and a series of already answered questions, the Halberd made its way to the sea that surrounded Smash World.

"So, where is this Master Hand?" asked Riku.

"There," Meta-Knight said as he pointed out the window and began punching something into the ship's system.

"I don't see anything," said Sora.

"Wait for it," said Samus. A portal suddenly tore open and the ship flew straight towards it.

"Wow," said Kairi as the Halberd flew through space. They arrived at a large rectangular platform with ornate symbols floating in darkness. On the left side was a large huddled white mass. The thing was muttering to itself and twitching.

"What is that?" Kairi asked.

"That's Crazy Hand," said Zelda, "He's Master Hand's counterpart."

"So… it's normal for him to act like that?" asked Sora, thinking that if he had Crazy in his name then surely odd behavior was to be expected.

"No," said Link, "He's always been a little off, but never like this."

"Someone must've done something to him," murmured Lucas as he looked around as if expecting for that someone to jump out and attack them.

"Someone should probably go down there and see if he's alright," said Meta-Knight.

A moment later they were all standing on the platform (which, surprisingly, was more than big enough for all of them) and Mario, Zelda, and Marth were slowly approaching Crazy Hand.

"Meh, no, blast it, gah!" he muttered.

"Are you alright?" asked Marth, apparently startling Crazy Hand out of his delirium.

"Wha? What? Oh, it's you," said Crazy Hand as he levitated off the platform's floor, "'bout time too. Where were you lazing about, then?"

"What are you talking about? Where's Master Hand? What's going on?" asked Zelda.

There was a sound like gears turning in a large machine as Crazy Hand called out, "NYAH! That's going on!"

"But what is it?" asked Zelda.

"It's the-" he was interrupted by a sudden strike from a familiar looking claw that sent him careening off into the space around the Final Destination.

"It's that freak from before!" shouted Samus. The Keybearers and Smashers readied themselves for a fight, but no sooner had it taken a step toward them that a large white glove balled in a fist collided with it and sent it flying off the platform.

"Master Hand!" the Smashers called out.

"Did that beast harm any of you?" he asked in concern.

"No, but it certainly tried," said Ganondorf.

"What was that thing, anyway?" said Captain Falcon.

"That was a Phearmonger, a creature bent on destruction," said Master Hand, "It's been millennia since they've caused any trouble."

"Then what's this one doing here? And why have there been so many Heartless attacks?" asked Pit.

"That's a matter of great debate among the powers that be," said Master Hand, "I missed the last meeting on account of Tabuu's attack, so I'm not completely sure myself what the situation is. Give me a moment to contact someone who can explain it to you better."

"Oh, wait, you haven't met-" began Link.

"I know who Sora is, he's made quite a name for himself. Xemnas _and_ Ansem, that's quite impressive," said Master Hand, "Hello, King Kai, can you hear me? It's Master Hand. Could you direct your attention to Smash world for a moment? I want to talk to you."

"Yes, yes, what is it," said a voice that filled the whole area, "Will this take long? I'm a little busy."

"I wouldn't bother you if it weren't important," said Master Hand, "I need you to explain the Phearmongers to the Smashers, if you remember I couldn't attend our last meeting."

"Oh, yes, I remember," said King Kai, "The whole incident with Tabuu. Well, you missed quite a bit, we've actually figured something out, Kami meant to call you, but he was distracted with his own world's affairs. Anyway, where to begin? I guess I should start with Phear, uh, that's actually a pretty long story. Get comfortable, this might take a while."

**That's right, it's everybody's favorite catfish-faced wise guy, King Kai. Next chapter will include an explanation, and the story will finally really kick off.**


	5. The Story of Phear

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Chapter Four: The Story of Phear

"Now, pay attention," said King Kai, "This is too long a story to tell twice. It all started when the universe began. Two forces existed and created a balance that kept the universe stable, Lait, the passive female force, and Dharcnus, the aggressive male force. They were siblings and together they kept each other's power from corrupting the universe and the few that lived in it in those days. Lait was kind, caring, and hated to see anyone suffer while Dharcnus was cold, easily angered, and had a sadistic streak. Because Lait was a being of good, she loved her brother despite his ways, but because Dharcnus was the embodiment of evil he despised his sister by nature.

"One day Dharcnus had decided he'd had enough of Lait's ways and attacked her. The two fought for days on end with neither one gaining any advantage. To assist him, Dharcnus made three incarnations that represented the three things brought by evil. Phear, Hait, and Distrucshun, but the other two aren't important right now, it's Phear we're dealing with here. After the battle, they were all sealed along with Lait and the three virtues she created to combat Dharcnus' servants, Hoap, Luv, and Kreeashun. However, overtime their power began to slowly return.

"Phear was obsessed with creating chaos and fear. He does this by sending his servants to destroy worlds and absorbs the fear in the hearts of their inhabitants. This is what the Phearmongers are, they find worlds and destroy them for their master. They would be easy to defeat, but Phear creates them from the memory of the fear he gathers from the dying worlds. They are only memories and therefore do not exist anymore, so when they are defeated they return as they were first seen.

"That's where the Keybearers enter into the story. The hearts of the Phearmongers are in reality the Keyholes of the world that was destroyed for their creation, so the Keyblade is capable sealing them away in non-existence. In the old battles, Phearmongers were easily defeated by the Keybearers, but Phear has discovered a material that can stop Keyblades from harming them."

"I'm afraid that's my fault," said Master Hand, "I found the material in Subspace when Tabuu attacked. I'd hoped it could be used against him if he found a way to return, but it went missing during the battle. Phear must have sent a scout to take it."

"Yes, well, anyway," King Kai continued, "We _have_ figured out a way to destroy the armor Phear makes from the substance. The energy you Smashers use to perform your ultimate techniques has the power to utterly destroy the armor. Once you have done that the Keybearers must battle the Phearmongers until their hearts become exposed, then simply seal it as you would any Keyhole and the monster will be banished from reality.

"As for our course of action, well it requires your cooperation. Our intention was to create an elite team of heroes to travel the universe and stop the Phearmongers from destroying worlds. As they do this they should attempt to find out what Phear plans to do. We're calling it the Daydream Task Force."

"So… you expect _us_ to be this team?" asked Popo, one half of the Ice Climbers duo.

"Well, yes, that's the basic idea," said King Kai, "We meant to assemble heroes from a few other worlds, but I think at this point we can't delay any longer. Besides, most of our potential recruits are caught up in the affairs of their own world at the moment. Come to think of it, where's Crazy Hand? He's usually interrupted me six times by now."

"Oh, that, well a strong Heartless came and imprisoned us in some clockwork prison," said Master Hand, "It must have messed up, though, because only one of us can be in there at a time. I can't think where it's gone, though."

"It served its purpose," said a growling voice, "So I sent it away."

"Who's there?" asked Master Hand, "Show yourself!"

"As you wish," the voice revealed itself to be the creature they had defeated, "The name is Paracitus."

"He must have been a Phearmonger," said Sora.

"Aren't you perceptive," said Paracitus.

"Well, it doesn't matter," said Bowser, "'Cause now we know how to get rid of your ugly mug for good."

"Yeah," said Kirby, "There's no way you can take all of us."

"Maybe not yet," said Paracitus, "But I will in about three seconds." Without warning, Paracitus latched onto Master Hand and began sapping massive amounts of his energy.

"No way, freak show!" said Captain Falcon as he ran up and pulled his arm back and flames concentrated around his fist, "FALCO **PUNCH**!" he cried out as the flames formed a bird shape and he sent Paracitus flying with a mighty punch.

"Too late, Falcon," said Paracitus, "I already have all the energy I need!" He began to change, his worm-like mouth extended into a pair of jaws and a yellow eye forced its way out of each side of his head. His flesh became hardened scales the muscles in his tentacles became more defined, like arms and legs. Spines crept out of the back of his neck and he increased in size until he was taller than Master Hand. The ooze in the glass tube in his armor was empty and a plate of now blue armor slid over it.

"Ha, ha, ha! Try and take me now, little toys!" he called out as he slammed his fist into the arena. All of the Smashers flew far up in the air and off into the distance only to reappear on the arena as figurines of themselves except for Bowser, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Ganondorf, since they were heavier than the others and hadn't flown as far.

"Uh oh," said DK, "We gotta help the others."

"We can take care of them after we get rid of this thing," said Ganondorf. He turned to the three Keybearers and continued, "You three jump in once we get rid of his armor."

Donkey Kong suddenly jumped up and hit Paracitus in the chest with his Spinning Kong attack, then grabbed onto his shoulder and began swinging his arm in circles before hitting him in the neck with his Giant Punch. Paracitus grunted in pain before sweeping DK off with his claws. He then blasted energy from his jaws at the four Smashers. They all dodged the attack and Ganondorf knocked him down to one knee with his Wizard's Foot sliding kick, prompting Wario to mount his motorcycle and slam into his other leg.

Now on his knees, Paracitus blasted them again, but they didn't have time to escape this time. He slammed Bowser into the ground, scratched Wario with his claws, got up and stomped on Ganondorf, and punched DK to the edge of the area. Bowser got up and shook himself before noticing a Smash Ball that had appeared directly above him. He hit it with his Whirling Fortress move and began to glow as Samus had. He suddenly transformed into Giga-Bowser and began attacking Paracitus (who was now only bigger than him because of his long neck). He blasted him with his Fire Breath, swiped at him with his claws, and then threw him up into the air before executing his Spike Slice attack knocking the Phearmonger flat on his back.

When he reverted to Bowser he was shocked to find that Paracitus still had his armor. However, as he lay on the ground blue particles of light came off of him. When they disappeared his armor had turned yellow, his jaws were shorter, in fact, _he_ was shorter, the plate covering the tube had moved back slightly, and his arms and legs were a little less bulky.

"Oh no," King Kai's voice filled the area, "The energy he stole from Master Hand has made his armor stronger. You'll have to diffuse all the energy to destroy it."

"We should help them," said Sora.

"Our Keyblades won't work, remember?" said Riku, "There's nothing we can do but wait."

"Take this!" yelled Paracitus as his head rocketed forward and slammed into Bowser. The Koopa King fell off the arena, but used his Whirling Fortress move to get back up. While Paracitus recovered from the impact, Donkey Kong jumped on his now low head and began striking the top with his palms. He eventually got worn out and stopped. Paracitus reared back his head, sending Donkey Kong off the arena, but he was saved by his Spinning Kong move. Paracitus staggered a few steps and then fell not far from where Ganondorf was. He jumped up and met the Phearmonger's head with an overhead flip kick, knocking it away and giving him time to escape it.

Ganondorf jumped up and began hitting a Smash Ball that had appeared until he began to glow. He turned toward Paracitus waiting for him to get up. When he began to attempt to push himself up Ganondorf unleashed Beast Ganon. Beast Ganon's roar froze him in place and then he charged him, dealing severe damage.

Yellow particles began coming off of Paracitus, turning his armor red and moving the plate further back. His head had become like a worm's again and his arms had lost their shape, becoming tentacles once more. His legs still held their shape, but he was now only slightly bigger than Bowser.

"You punks! You're ruining my awe inspiring transformation!" he growled.

"I wasn't inspired, were you inspired?" Bowser asked Wario.

"C'mon!" said DK, "Let's end this joker's game!" He jumped up and punched Paracitus in the shoulder then put his hand together above his head and smashed the monster's leg.

"Grrrr, I've had it!" yelled Paracitus, "Chew on this!" He raised his tentacles and began to concentrate a mass of energy. He grasped it with his tentacles and slammed them into Ganondorf. In a flash he had turned into a figure like the others and the Phearmonger was laughing. DK looked up at him with hatred and noticed another Smash Ball had appeared. He attacked it, hitting Paracitus's head in the process.

His eyes turned completely yellow and a pair of bongo drums appeared before him. He then started levitating in midair and blasting the Phearmonger with sound waves. After a few hits, he fell down and red light began coming off him. When it vanished he was as he appeared when they first met him.

"Dammit!" he called out, "I won't lose to you!"

"Ah, shut up!" said Wario as he punched him in the chest. While Paracitus was down he rammed him with his motorcycle three times and then opened his mouth wide and started to chew on him. He spit him out and hit him with his Wario Waft move, causing his still conscious allies to recoil at the odor.

"Ugh, that's gross!' said Kairi as she covered her face and coughed.

"What did he eat?" said Sora with equal disgust. Before he could shout a witty comeback, Wario noticed a Smash Ball, "_Where are these things coming from?_" he thought. He jumped up and mimicked his friends' actions, taking on the glow of a Final Smash.

"WARIO! Ha haha HA!" he shouted as he transformed, dawning a mask, spandex jumpsuit, and cape, into Wario Man. He flew at Paracitus, battering away at his armor until it had been smashed to pieces. Wario reverted to his original form and high-fived DK and Bowser, but his celebration was cut short by a yell of "Look out!" from Sora.

Wario moved just in time to avoid Paracitus's head shooting towards him like a cannonball. Instead of energy from Wario's body, he received a mouthful of Sora's Kingdom Key. The head withdrew revealing itself to be linked to a long wormlike body with six spindly legs. Paracitus had revealed his true, and notably much larger, form.

"Your friends may have destroyed my armor, Keybearer," said Paracitus, "But you won't defeat me!"

"I beg to differ," said Riku as he summoned his Way to Dawn.

"I've seen scarier things on seafood platter," said Kairi as her Destiny's Embrace appeared in her hand, "You'll go down easy."

"If you think you're so tough you should meet my new friends," said Paracitus. With a sudden flash, six creatures appeared in front of him. They were human in shape and wore armor like the knights of the crusades. Their faces were completely covered by chainmail and instead of crosses imprinted on their chests and shields they had fists clenched inside black hearts.

"These are the Silent Marchers," he said, "Soulless creatures made by Master Phear to do a Phearmonger's bidding." The Silent Marchers drew the broadswords strapped to their sides and began advancing towards the young Keybearers. One of them ran past the others and slashed at Sora who blocked with his Keyblade and swiped at his chest, finishing it off with a powerful blow to the head which sent it flying back into his another one. Its body exploded in a flash of light when it hit its comrade and damaged the one that was still alive.

The second one slammed it's fist on the floor and righted itself as a third blocked a strike from Riku with its shield. It attempted to retaliate, but Riku sidestepped the blow and landed three slashes against its body, knocking it into its ally's shield. The one behind it charged at him, but he blocked its blade with his own and sent it flying with a flurry of strikes.

Meanwhile, the two attacking Kairi had decided to come at her from either side. She quickly rolled out of the way as they inadvertently brought their swords down on each other. Each one thinking the other had gone rogue, the two fought until one was destroyed as Kairi thought to herself, _"Wow, these things are brain dead."_ The one that survived the clash was quickly dispatched by an attack from behind by Kairi just as Sora finished off the last one.

"I really hope that's not your best," said Riku.

"Insolent brats," said Paracitus, "Fine, I'll crush you myself. When I'm through with you the Heartless are gonna look like cuddly little kitty cats!" He quickly scuttled forward on his legs and lashed out at them with the sword like appendages. Kairi and Riku blocked the attacks as Sora jumped up and went for his head, but his tail extended and knocked the young Keybearer aside and his head latched onto Riku and began to sap his energy. Kairi shot a Fire spell from her Keyblade at the beast's head, causing him to let go of Riku and recoil as he desperately banged his head against the platform in an attempt to smother the flames.

"Looks like he's weak to fire," said Sora as Paracitus let out an inhuman roar, following up with an energy blast from his mouth. The three young friends hit the floor just in time as Bowser and DK jumped out of the way, but by the time Wario picked up on what was happening all he could do was let out a cry of shock as it blasted him.

"Wahahahaha!" he cried as he rocketed off into the distance, disappearing in a flash then reappearing as a trophy of himself.

"Take this!" he cried as he lunged at them with his mouth wide open, apparently deciding it would be simpler to just swallow them. Sora ducked down under the Phearmonger's advancing maw and slashed at his underbelly causing him to rear up in his four back legs. While Sora got out of his now descending body's way, Riku took the opportunity to hit him with another Fire spell. Each time Paracitus hit his enflamed head against the floor Sora struck it with his Keyblade until the fire was out.

"I have HAD IT with you!" said Paracitus as he retracted his legs slightly and spun arpund in a circle, knocking Sora back into his friends. Whi;e they were down he shot towards them in another attempt to swallow them whole. They dodged his mouth, but the sides of his large body grazed them. He nearly flipped over as he attempted to reach back behind himself at them, but an aptly timed Fire spell from Sora caused him to writhe in pain, actually succeeding in flipping himself over this time.

"It's over," said Kairi, "Just give it up."

"There's no way I'll accept defeat from the likes of you!" he roared as his body turned red and he scrunched himself up, all the while concentrating energy at his mouth, "You're finished!"

**Super Attack: Full Throttle Piercing Wave**

He sprung forward at breakneck speed, the energy becoming a spearhead. Time seemed to slow for the group as they dashed out of the way. While Riku and Kairi went to the side, Sora used the High Jump to bypass the spear head and land on the monster's back. As he passed, Riku and Kairi used Paracitus's own momentum against him, driving their Keyblades into his flesh as he passed by and jumping over his legs and repeating the process.

As he rose up in agony, Sora jumped above his head and sent a Fire spell plummeting into the creature's mouth. As Sora touched down, Paracitus writhed in pain as the fire burned him from the inside and then fell limp and began breathing heavily as glowing lights began appearing out of his body. When he came to Paractus's head, he noticed a glowing spot of light issuing from his mouth.

"The Keyhole…" rasped a barely conscious Master Hand, "Quickly." Sora nodded in understanding and pointed his Keyblade at his enemy's mouth and shot a beam of light from his Keyblade down his throat.

Paracitus screeched in agony as he began to turn pale white and shouted "No! You will not stop Phear!" as he turned completely white and still. Suddenly a Keyhole appeared around his body and closed, taking the defeated Phearmonger with it. After the Keybearers and the two remaining smashers had restored the others, the clockwork prison Master Hand had described appeared and, with no one to maintain its magic, it burst open as a white left-handed glove burst from it.

"FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST! THANK CHUCK ALMIGHTY, WE ARE FREE AT LAST! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! " shouted Crazy Hand as he darted around the Final Destination.

"Thank you," said a rejuvenated Master Hand, "All of you, without you that beast would have destroyed the Smash World and our last hope would have been vanquished. But this is no time to celebrate, the Phearmongers are a threat to every world, we're counting on you to stop them."

"Right," said Kirby.

"We won't let you down," Link chimed in.

"They may seem unstoppable at times," Master Hand began.

"Oh, here we go," muttered Lucarion as Master Hand went off on one of his rambles. I have neither the time nor the patience to right the entire spiel down, besides, I'm not certain that even Master Hand remembers exactly what it was he said.

"Just remember," Master Hand concluded as the Halberd readied to take off (his speech was so long they had time to stock six months of supplies and get everyone on board), "We're counting on you."

"Let's-a go!" shouted Mario as the Halberd took off in search of to worlds to explore and defend from the darkness.

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_

_Sono mabushii egao ni_  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold my hand<em>

_Kimi to deatta toki_  
><em>Kodomo no koro taisetsu ni omotte ita basho wo omoidashita n' da<em>  
><em>Boku to odotte kurenai ka<em>  
><em>Hikari to kage no Winding road Ima to demo yatsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Sukoshi dake furimukitaku naru you na toki mo aru kedo<em>  
><em>Ai to yuuki to hokori wo motte Tatakau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Kono hoshi no kibou no kakera<em>  
><em>Kitto dare mo ga eien wo te ni iretai<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN Ki ni shinai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Hora Kimi ni koi shite 'ru<em>  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold your hand<em>

_Okotta kao mo tsukarete 'ru Kimi mo suki da kedo_  
><em>Anna ni tobashite ikite daijoubu ka na to omou<em>  
><em>Boku wa... Nanige nai shigusa ni furimawasarete 'ru Sea Side Blue<em>  
><em>Sore demo aitsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Motto kikitai koto ga atta no ni<em>  
><em>Futari no kaiwa ga kuruma no oto ni habamarete toori ni mau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Jibun demo fushigi nan' da kedo<em>  
><em>Nani ka aru to sugu ni kimi ni denwa shitaku naru<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN ki no nai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Kekkyoku kimi no koto dake mite ita<em>  
><em>Umi no kanata e tobidasou yo Hold My Hand<em>

Sora: That was one tough fight.

Ganondorf: Don't celebrate just yet, kid, we've got plenty more of those things to deal with.

Ness: Don't be such a downer, Ganondorf, we've won this battle and that's what matters.

Riku: He is right, though, we've got a long road ahead of us.

Fox: Maybe so, but with all of us together those freaks don't stand a chance.

Peach: Do we have what it takes to rid the universe of these Phearmongers?

Kairi: Find out next time on Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams.

Bowser:... Who are you talking to?

**And finally, after a long month of waiting, Paracitus is dead and everybody knows what a Phearmonger is.**

**Anyone who can guess who Crazy Hand was talking about gets a virtual cookie, this is Shao Kahn II signing off.**


	6. The Cauldron's Call

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Chapter Five: The Caldron's Call

"What?!" yelled a deep furious voice, "What do you mean Paracitus has been sealed?"

"Just what I said, sir," a mechanical monotone voice replied, "Paracitus failed in his mission to destroy the Smash World." Kneeling before a large stone throne was what looked like a Silent Marcher, but instead of a shield and sword it carried a longbow and a quiver of arrows. This was a Whispering Archer, an assassin and spy for the Phearmongers.

"That fool," said the man on the throne, "Paracitus always had a bark worse than his bite, I just always thought he'd die mouthing off to a more able Phearmonger." On the throne sat a tall, muscle bound man with metallic silver skin. He had black hair with a military cut and bright red eyes and he rubbed his rounded chin with his hand as he deliberated on a course of action. On his left arm was a single plate of armor with a short blade just reaching past his knuckles embedded in it and in his right hand he held a war scythe. He was decorated with a black armored breastplate with shoulder pads that resembled a samurai's and shin guards over a pair of black pants and combat boots. His name was Psych-E and he was the colonel of an elite regiment of Phearmongers.

"Should the men be informed, sir?" the Whispering Archer asked.

"Yes. Tell them Paracitus is gone and that any Keybearers are to be terminated on site," said Psych-E, "And tell Corporal Tengu to be on high alert , Prydain is our closest operation to Smash World, this 'Task Force' will most likely go there next."

"Affirmative," said the Whispering Archer as it left to carry out its commands.

"So how is this gonna work?" said Captain Falcon, addressing an image of Master Hand and Crazy Hand on the Halberd's main viewer.

"Well, our plan is for you to find worlds with Phearmonger activity and stop them from destroying them," said Master Hand, "As you do that, try to gather as much information on Phear's goals as you can. As for procedure, we'll send one Keybearer and three Smashers to each world, that should be enough to take care of the Phearmongers."

"Only three?" said Snake.

"It only took four of you to destroy Paracitus's armor and that was only because he stole that massive energy supply from me," Master Hand answered, "Phearmongers are all unique, so you probably won't encounter others that can absorb energy and even then I won't be there to give them a target. Anyway, from what I've heard, the closest Phearmonger operation to Smash World is in Prydain. It's an arcane world, not very advanced in technology, so I think Link, Marth and Ike would be the best choices to avoid suspicion from the people of Prydain."

"CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME?!" shouted Crazy Hand as he grabbed the communicator on his end between his index finger and thumb and began shaking it..

"CRAZY, PUT THAT DOWN!" shouted Master Hand, "As I was saying," he continued once Crazy had released the communicator, "When you get there be on your guard. Prydain's resident villain has been acting up recently, he's looking for something."

"Who is he?" said Link.

"I've never heard what his real name is," Master Hand replied, "but he's known as the Horned King."

Suddenly a deafening warning siren filled the Halberd and red lights began flashing.

"What's that?" Sora cried out.

"The sensors have detected enemy ships," said Meta-Knight.

"Well, I've done all I can do," said Master Hand, "I'll just leave you to it." And with that he broke the communication link. His image was replaced with an enormous black spacecraft. It looked like a small city made up of metallic black towers on a large floating hexagonal platform. Beneath the platform was a swirling mass of dark energy contained in a glass sphere and large rockets on each of its corners kept it afloat. Large reflectors jutted out at odd angles on mechanical arms.

"They're sending a message," said Samus, "I'll patch it through."

"HehhehhehhehAHHAHAHAHA!" cackled a large entity as it appeared on the screen. It was dressed in black leather armor with red markings and it had a metallic face with red eyes. A dome of purple mist was at the top of its head and it had golden bands around its arms.

"Well, hello there boys and girls!" it called as if it were up on stage, "It's nice to see the first people to abolish one of my more recent minions face to face. I would have such fun watching one of my boys destroy you in hand-to-hand combat, but precaution dictates that I erase you immediately, so sadly you must be dealt with in this boorish way, blasted to dust at the hands of one of my starships. Well, parting is such sweet sorrow, but I'm afraid you simply must go ahhahahahahahaha!"

"…Who was that dude?" said Bowser after the communication had cut off. There was suddenly a loud noise like a hanger opening. The ship was leaving and it had left behind a drastically smaller one that looked similar to a mechanical whale. Smaller ships began detaching from it, these resembled legless wasps with cannons rather than stingers.

"Fighters," said Snake.

"Fox," barked Meta-Knight, "you, Falco, and Wolf get out there and keep them at bay, Samus and I will try to destroy the cruiser from here."

"Right," the three anthromorphs nodded and dashed to their ships in the Halberd's main hanger.

"Sora," said Meta-Knight, "You've fought Heartless ships, right?"

"Sure," said Sora, "Just tell me where the controls are and I'll…" he was cut off by a sudden flash of light. He was still on the deck of the Halberd, but he was alone. There was a large chunk taken out of the bow of the starship revealing an almost pitch black haze that a few pieces of debris were floating through. Among it was Meta-Knight's mask (well, part of it anyway), Samus's battered arm cannon, Popo's hammer (or maybe it was Nana's, there weren't any real differences between the two), Marth's tattered cape, Ness's baseball bat, and Mario's cap.

"What the…" he wondered aloud.

"Confused?" said a voice, "I'd be surprised if you weren't." Sora looked behind him and saw a man who seemed to be composed of dust. He was floating in the air with his knees slightly bent and his arms crossed. His face had two impressions were his eyes should be, a nose and not so much a mouth as a space were the dust parted when he spoke. Suddenly the familiarity of the voice hit him

"You're the guy from my dreams," he said.

"Head of the class," he mocked.

"What is this? Where are we?" Sora asked, a little afraid to hear the answer.

"This is what's going to happen to your precious worlds," he said, "Phear is going to leave nothing but Darkness and a few bits and pieces." As he said that the Halberd's bow fell away and showed an all consuming darkness, bits of houses, weaponry, clothing, and other identifiable junk floating lazily through it.

"Impossible," said Sora, "If he's that powerful why hasn't he done this already?"

"He's not that powerful, not yet," said the dust man, "He needs more power, more negativity. That's why his lackeys are out destroying worlds for him. All the death and destruction breeds more darkness, more fear."

"It won't come to this," said Sora, "I'll stop him!"

"You'd like to believe that, wouldn't you?" he said, "Master Hand and his little circle of friends may think you're a hero, but I think you're just a little kid with a dangerous toy."

"I won't lose to Phear, I can't!" he yelled.

He began shaking his head, "Sora, Sora, Sora."

"SORA!" Bowser's thunderous roar roused him from his delirium, and knocked him flat on his back. That guy could really yell.

"Wha… what happened?" he said in a dazed voice.

"You spaced out," said Bowser, "And this is a pretty bad time, considering the ship's being attacked."

"Oh, right," Sora gasped as he ran over to the Halberd's weapon controls, "So how do I do this?"

"It's pretty simple," said Samus as she sent a volley of laser blasts at the enemy cruiser, "Use this to adjust your aim," she pointed at a control pad with four arrows, two to move the sights up and down and two to move them side to side, "Then press the blue one for lasers and the yellow one for torpedoes," she indicated a pair of buttons next to the pad, "You can use the red button to fire the grabber, but there's only one of those, so make sure no one else is about to use it."

"Got it," said Sora as he took to the controls and destroyed two of the fighters.

"Samus, try and take out the cruiser," said Meta-Knight. Samus nodded and launched a torpedo at the ship, but nothing happened.

"It must have a force field," she said, "Fox and the others will have to get in close and find a sensitive spot."

Meanwhile, Fox, Falco and Wolf we're blasting anything that didn't look familiar.

"There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many fighters that cruiser can spit out," Falco's voice came through on the comm. link, "We'll have to go for the source."

"I can see fuel tanks at the back," said Fox, "If we blast those they should take most of the ship them."

"You two go take care of it," said Wolf, "I'll try to keep those fighters off of the Halberd."

"Got it," said Fox as he and Falco went for the ship. A few minutes and about 15 destroyed fighters later, they'd reached the ship and opened fire, but after one of the tanks was destroyed the energy protecting the ship was diverted to the tanks, leaving the front exposed. Unfortunately this also exposed its guns, which it took full advantage of.

The ship fired at the Halberd, but its blasts were intercepted and it took a well aimed torpedo full force to the bough. It reapplied its shields to the front and Falco and Fox blasted it fuel tanks once again. The process was repeated until the ship was reduced to scrap metal.

"We're gonna have to do this every damn time aren't we?" said Samus.

"Probably," said Meta-Knight.

"This is gonna take a long time," said Sora.

"You better get down there and get started, then," said Meta-Knight.

Meanwhile on the planet below, a man in a black hooded robe looked up at the sky.

"Hey, Luxeta," said a gruff voice, "What are you staring at?" It belonged to a tall man with a bird's head and a pair of black feathered wings. He wore a metallic chest protector akin to Paracitus's armor and green camouflage pants and was carrying an iron halberd.

"It seems the Colonel was right," he said, "The Keybearer and his friends have arrived."

"Keybearer, huh?" the bird man replied, "Perfect, I've always wanted to tear one of those cocky bastards apart."

"You're much too confident, Corporal," said Luxeta, "There was a time when most Phearmongers trembled at the very mention of the Keyblade."

"And that time's over and done with," he shot back, "Kara Tengu fears no Keybearer. Now let's get moving, if the Marchers stand still too long in this humidity their gears get all gummed up and they're useless." Luxeta said nothing as he and the Phearmonger continued their trek through the forest. A squeal broke the silence as the two turned to see a small pig caught in the brambles.

"Looks like we found her," said Luxeta as he signaled the Silent Marchers to grab the pig.

"I don't see what's so special about this thing," said Tengu.

"This thing can tell us where the Cauldron is," said Luxeta.

"Well I still think that old geezer's out of his horned little head," said the Phearmonger, "Might as well get going."

"Yes," said Luxeta, "We wouldn't want to keep his Horned Highness waiting."

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_

_Sono mabushii egao ni_  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold my hand<em>

_Kimi to deatta toki_  
><em>Kodomo no koro taisetsu ni omotte ita basho wo omoidashita n' da<em>  
><em>Boku to odotte kurenai ka<em>  
><em>Hikari to kage no Winding road Ima to demo yatsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Sukoshi dake furimukitaku naru you na toki mo aru kedo<em>  
><em>Ai to yuuki to hokori wo motte Tatakau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Kono hoshi no kibou no kakera<em>  
><em>Kitto dare mo ga eien wo te ni iretai<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN Ki ni shinai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Hora Kimi ni koi shite 'ru<em>  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold your hand<em>

_Okotta kao mo tsukarete 'ru Kimi mo suki da kedo_  
><em>Anna ni tobashite ikite daijoubu ka na to omou<em>  
><em>Boku wa... Nanige nai shigusa ni furimawasarete 'ru Sea Side Blue<em>  
><em>Sore demo aitsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Motto kikitai koto ga atta no ni<em>  
><em>Futari no kaiwa ga kuruma no oto ni habamarete toori ni mau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Jibun demo fushigi nan' da kedo<em>  
><em>Nani ka aru to sugu ni kimi ni denwa shitaku naru<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN ki no nai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Kekkyoku kimi no koto dake mite ita<em>  
><em>Umi no kanata e tobidasou yo Hold My Hand<em>

Kairi: I hope those guys'll be okay down there.

Peach: Have a little faith, Kairi they'll be fine.

Lucas: That Phearmonger looked kinda scary, I hope they can handle him.

Peach: Did you not hear me?

Snake: Who was that Luxeta dude? And what was with the robe?

Riku: Guess we'll have to find out next time on Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams.

Bowser: Who the hell is Luxeta? What are you guys talking about? What am I missing here?

Ganondorf: That's what we're all wondering.

Bowser: HEY!

**Damn, that took forever, sorry about the wait, I just couldn't figure out how to finish that scene with the ship.**

**Well, there may not have been a lot going on in this chapter, but it's one of the little less entertaining things that end up in a story for continuity's sake.**

**Bonus points for anyone who can guess who the mysterious Luxeta is, this is Shao Kahn II signing off.**


	7. Search for Hen Wen

Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams

Chapter Six: Search for Hen Wen

In a dark imposing castle in the land of Prydain surrounded by a rocky plane an army of hired warriors was celebrating its success in finally achieving its employer's goal. Hen Wen, the oracle pig, was now in the iron clutches of the evil Horned King. As the barbarians celebrated a small green goblin creature skulked about glaring at them. When the world belonged to their master his loyalty would be rewarded far beyond all of them. They laughed at him, but the Creeper knew one day he'd be the one mocking them from on high.

The merriment of the warriors was cut short by a cold wind that extinguished the torches in the room. A blue energy lit the room and swirled around a single spot and exploded into a deep red smoke and a figure loomed from it. He was tall and adorned with a red hooded robe. A pair of gnarled horns stuck out from the hood and the men shrank back as a pair of deep red eyes surveyed them.

"Welcome, your Majesty," said Creeper enthusiastically as he swept a stray bit of dust in his master's path with a small broom. He began pouring wine into a cup and bowl and continued, "We were just celebrating our success, I-I mean _your_ success," he corrected himself as he realized the cup was upside down.

"Make no mistake, sir," he continued as he hopped up to the Horned King's throne and jumped up onto its arm rests, "This time, hehhahahaha! Bring in the prisoner!"

"Here you are," grunted Tengu as he pulled in a small pig on a chain, "One magic pig as ordered."

"Alright, pig," the Creeper called as one of the men set down a bowl of liquid in front of Hen Wen, "Show his Majesty where the Black Cauldron can be found! Go on, show it!" The pig simply turned away with her snout in the air.

"Heh heh, stubborn little thing isn't she?" he said as he tried to slink away, but the Horned King seized his neck and threw him to the floor.

"Oh, yes, y-you're quite right, sire, I'll take care of it at once," he stammered, "The Black Cauldron, where is it? Show us, swine!" he demanded as he shoved her head into the bowl, "I warn you," he said as he grabbed a hot coal with a pair of tongs, "the King's patience is short!"

"NO!" screamed the voice of a boy as he fell from the rafters. The hired men swarmed the boy as he grabbed a broom.

"Stay back, or I'll…" he said. He had no idea what it was he was going to do, mind you, but it sounded good. The thug nearest him gave him a look that said 'You're kidding, right?' and sliced off the head of the broom before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. His menacing was cut off by a shout of "Release him!" from the Creeper.

He begrudgingly tossed the boy to the floor before the Horned King where he reunited with the pig.

"**I presume, my boy…**" said the Horned King in a low, hoarse voice, "**That you are the keeper of this oracular pig?**"

"Y-yes sir," the boy stammered.

"**Then instruct her to show me**," he said in a drawn out rasp, "**the whereabouts… of the Black Cauldron.**"

"So where do we find this 'Black Cauldron'?" said Marth. The group had touched down in a forest that appeared to be in its early autumn phase.

"I don't know," said Sora, "Master Hand didn't give us much to go on, did he?"

"He hardly ever does," said Link, "Remember that time he was explaining the rules for a special match between Mario and Kirby and he stopped halfway through and said, 'Have fun,'?"

"Yeah," said Ike, "I couldn't follow that."

"We'll just have to look around until we-"

"Help!" a desperate cry interrupted them from somewhere in the forest.

"Someone's in trouble!" said Link as the voice continued to plead for aid.

"It came from over here," said Sora, "Let's go!" The four young men tore off in the direction of the shouts, prepared for any manner of dark creature. What they found instead was an old man who apparently had been set upon by a ball of fuzz.

"Gurgi's lucky day!" exclaimed the creature as it pilfered the old man's hat and attempted to yank the harp around his neck off its string.

"This! Gurgi want this!" it said.

"Go ahead," said the old man, "I'm sure you've murdered for less!"

"Gurgi!" a voice interrupted the scuffle.

"Master?" the creature gasped, "Oh, uh, old man fall down," then whispered, "Up, up, get up," as it tried to push the man to his feet.

"Who is your pungent little friend?" said the man indignantly.

"He's no friend of mine," said the boy, "He's just a coward, and a thief." 'Gurgi' as the foursome surmised he was called, suddenly looked very frightened and began backing away, pointing at the pair.

"What's his problem?" Ike whispered. The four adjusted their position as to see behind the man and boy, and spotted a lanky black creature with its head poking out of a hammerhead with the emblem of the Heartless on its front. A Hammer Frame!

"Look out!" called Sora as he landed a Strike Raid on its head. The four rushed out into the clearing and drew their blades.

"What the-" the boy exclaimed.

"No time to explain," said Sora, "Get ready for a fight, these thing almost never attack alone." The Hammer Frame let out an angry growl and summoned a swarm of Neo Shadows punctuated by the occasional Large Body. Link threw a bomb into a group of Neo Shadows and began slashing at others while Marth and Ike jabbed and slashed at the monsters. Sora cut through their ranks to get to a Large Body and tried to get behind it.

The Hammer Frame hadn't forgotten its original target. It charged the boy, but the sword in his hand glowed with a magical aura. The Heartless cringed back from the light and the boy brought it down on the monster, slicing it cleanly in two as its body faded out of existence. The Heartless turned their heads to the boy, their instincts taking hold.

"Uh oh," said Sora just before the Neo Shadows swarmed the man and boy. The four began desperately cutting through the ranks of the dark creatures, but that only served to draw the attention of the Large Bodies who swung their massive fists at the group. Swords offered no protection against the blunt force of the titanic Heartless, but Sora managed to roll behind one and hit it with a Gravity spell, finishing it off with a series of deft blows from the Keyblade.

The Neo Shadows froze, apparently unsure whether to go for the Keyblade or the boy's magic sword. Link took advantage of their distraction and tossed a bomb into their midst, something they noticed only when the explosion had destroyed ten or twelve and sent a few flying into the trees. Still slightly confused, a large portion of the Heartless were soon dispatched by the combined efforts of Marth, Ike, and Link while Sora kept the Large Bodies at bay. This went on a few minutes more until the dark creatures had been disposed of.

"That was amazing!" said the boy as he and the old man ran up to them with 'Gurgi' and a young girl in tow.

"Ah, that was nothing," said Link, "You should see a tough day.

"Don't mind him," said Marth, "He's always shooting his mouth off."

"Well, I thought it was funny," giggled the young girl.

"Who are you guys, anyway?" said the boy, looking a little upset at the girl's sudden interest in the Hero of Time.

"I'm Sora," said the Keybearer, "This is Link, Marth, and Ike."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Princess Eilonwy," said the girl with a curtsy, "This Taran, Fflewddur, and… who is he?"

"No one," said Taran, "Just a thief and a liar." Gurgi looked affronted but said nothing.

"What are you all doing out here?" said Link.

"I'm trying to find Hen Wen," said Taran, "She's a pig that can be used to see the future. The Horned King thinks she can tell him where to find the Black Cauldron, so Dalbben, the pig-keeper I'm apprenticed to, sent me to take her somewhere safe," he suddenly looked downcast, "But I wasn't watching her closely enough and the Horned King's warrior's took her."

"He doesn't still have her, does he?!" said Sora. In his experience evil kings and ancient artifacts were a bad mixture.

"No," Eilonwy chimed in, "Taran got her away from the castle and helped me and Fflewddur escape the King's dungeon, but now we don't know where she is."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to help you find her, then," said Marth.

"You'll help us?" said Taran.

"Of course," said Link, 'It's in everyone's best interest for the Horned King not to get his hands on the Black Cauldron."

"Besides," said Ike, "We couldn't call ourselves friends if we just left you high and dry like that."

"Tracks…" Gurgi interrupted the touching scene as he noticed hoof prints in the dirt, "Tracks! Gurgi remembered! Saw piggy's tracks!"

"You did?" Taran looked at the small creature hopefully.

"Today!"

"Today? Wait a minute…" Taran remembered the lies about Hen Wen that Gurgi had fed him earlier.

"He'll try anything," said Fflewddur.

"Oh, you're both horrid, he just might know," said Eilonwy.

"Pretty lady come too?" Gurgi's eyes lit up, "Oh, yes, yes! Follow Gurgi, follow Gurgi!"

"You'd better be telling the truth," Taran said warningly.

"Gurgi not lie… not this time," said Gurgi.

"Y'see, what'd I tell you?" said Luxeta, "I knew the little misfits would be able to find it for us."

"Good thing the Heartless gave us enough time to catch up," said Tengu, "And a reason to get the Keybearer and his friends moving along." The two were watching the group from the shadows accompanied by a contingent of Silent Marchers and some of the Horned King's men.

"Remember," Luxeta addressed the group, "We make our move once the boy finds the Cauldron, not a moment before."

"Where did the four of you say you were from," Taran asked as the group trailed behind Gurgi.

"Oh, a little place you've never heard of," said Link, leaving the boy more confused than before he'd fielded his question.

"Then how did you end up here?" he said.

"There are people we know who'd love to see the Horned King get his hands on the Cauldron," said Ike, "We came to stop them."

"Look," Marth pointed a little farther ahead where Gurgi had come to the edge of a pond, "C'mon." The group rushed to meet Gurgi.

"See, Master?" Gurgi said as he pointed at tracks at the edge of the pond, "Piggy's footprints, no lie." As Taran bent to look at the tracks, Gurgi jumped across a set of stones to the middle of the pond, only to find the two in front of him sink. He turned to go back, but the rock he stood one was all that was left. Without warning, the rock began to spin, turning faster and faster as he cried out. The pond had become a whirlpool.

"Gurgi!" Taran shouted, attempting to pull the little creature out, only to be pulled in as well. Eilonwy tried to grab the boys hand, but only managed to get herself and Fflewddur tossed into the pool.

"Can't make it too easy, they might get suspicious," said Luxeta from his hiding place as a Behemoth Heartless materialized between the four swordsmen and the whirlpool, accompanied by a dozen Silent Marchers.

"Dammit!" Marth grunted as he and the others unsheathed their swords.

"I'll go help the others," said Link, "You guys take care of the Heartless." They nodded in agreement as Link dived in to the whirlpool. The Behemoth lashed out with its massive foreleg, but wasn't quick enough to catch Marth. The young prince dealt a blow to the offending limb, only for his sword to glance off it harmlessly.

"Go for the horn on its head," Sora called out before engaging a Silent Marcher. This one was a bit cleverer than the ones they'd fought at Final Destination, it parried Sora's strikes and knocked back the Keyblade, but its triumph was short lived as a powerful stroke with Ike's now flame-imbued sword sent it careening into the Behemoth's head, stunning the massive Heartless. Marth took the opportunity to deal a series of swift blows to the downed beast's horn and hit it with a charged slash, causing it to rear up again in pain.

As Sora brought down the Keyblade on the last of the Silent Marchers, he noticed a form moving around in the bushes. When he went to investigate, however, he suddenly became dizzy and the figure from his dreams appeared once more.

"You!" he called out.

"Ah, ah, ah," the figure said as it wagged a finger at him, "No peeking." It waved its hand as Sora stumbled back into Marth.

"What's up?" said Marth as he turned to Sora.

"Nothing," he said, "I just… just a dizzy spell."

"If you say so…" Marth returned his attention to the Heartless, which was engaged in a struggle with Ike. The Behemoth was trying to gore him with its tusks, but he was keeping it at bay with a hand at either end of his sword.

"Freeze!" Sora called out as a ball of ice fired from the Keyblade struck the monster's horn, giving Ike the edge he needed to win the clash and force the Behemoth onto its back. The Heartless let out an angry roar as its horn began to glow and it fired a volley of energy spheres, knocking the group back. To their surprise, the Behemoth had turned red and was stomping the ground furiously, as if it were preparing to charge. Before it could unleash what was undoubtedly an attack of tremendous power, a blur of green cloth leapt from the pond that had swallowed their companions and landed a final blow on the Behemoth's horn. The monster vanished in a bright flash, leaving a large, crystal heart in its place which vanished in the same manner.

"I didn't miss too much, did I?" Link called from his landing point where the Heartless once stood.

"Oh, just most of the fight," said Marth, "Nothing we couldn't handle."

"So, what happened down there?" Sora asked.

"Well, we found Hen Wen," said Link, "She fell in too and the Faire-folk have been taking care of her."

"They're going to take Hen back to Dalbben for me," said Taran, "And they told us where to find the Cauldron, we're going to get it first and destroy it."

"So, where is it?" said Ike.

"It's in Morva," said Eilonwy, "Doley's going to take us there?"

"Doley?" said Sora.

"He's one of the Faire-folk," said Link, "Where is he anyway? He was here a minute ago, Doley! Where are you?!"

"What is _taking_ so long?!" a gruff voice shouted from somewhere in the forest before a small man appeared floating in front of them. He was dressed all in yellow and had a beard and a big nose.

"C'mon, let's get moving!" he yelled.

"Guys, this is Doley," said Link, "He's going to take us to the Cauldron."

"This guy?" said Sora.

"Ya got a problem with that, spikey?" said Doley as he flew up in Sora's face. He hadn't taken kindly to the young Keybearer's tone.

"Uh, no sir," Sora stammered. Link stifled a laugh at seeing his friend stand up straight and address a man no bigger than a firefly as if he were a drill sergeant.

"You find something funny, green bean?" Doley snapped at the Hylian swordsman.

"No, nothing," Link said in a similar manner to Sora. This prompted the whole group to start laughing at the pair, eventually they joined in too while Doley snapped at them.

"Stop laughing! What is so _funny_?!" His confusion only brought them to laugh harder as Luxeta and Tengu looked on from the shadows.

"Morva, huh?" said Luxeta.

"I guess we don't need them to find it for us anymore," said Tengu, "You want me to take care of 'em?"

"No," said Luxeta, "The Cauldron could be hidden or enchanted or something. We'll go ahead and try to find it before they do, but we may need the Faire-folk to flush it out for us."

"Alright," Tengu sighed, "But I'm getting tired of this whole 'wait for it' thing, I wanna see some action!"

"You'll get it," said Luxeta, "Just shut up and wait."

"Good," said Tengu, "This world's going down."

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_

_Sono mabushii egao ni_  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold my hand<em>

_Kimi to deatta toki_  
><em>Kodomo no koro taisetsu ni omotte ita basho wo omoidashita n' da<em>  
><em>Boku to odotte kurenai ka<em>  
><em>Hikari to kage no Winding road Ima to demo yatsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Sukoshi dake furimukitaku naru you na toki mo aru kedo<em>  
><em>Ai to yuuki to hokori wo motte Tatakau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Kono hoshi no kibou no kakera<em>  
><em>Kitto dare mo ga eien wo te ni iretai<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN Ki ni shinai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Hora Kimi ni koi shite 'ru<em>  
><em>Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold your hand<em>

_Okotta kao mo tsukarete 'ru Kimi mo suki da kedo_  
><em>Anna ni tobashite ikite daijoubu ka na to omou<em>  
><em>Boku wa... Nanige nai shigusa ni furimawasarete 'ru Sea Side Blue<em>  
><em>Sore demo aitsu ni muchuu na no?<em>  
><em>Motto kikitai koto ga atta no ni<em>  
><em>Futari no kaiwa ga kuruma no oto ni habamarete toori ni mau yo<em>

_DAN DAN Kokoro hikarete 'ku_  
><em>Jibun demo fushigi nan' da kedo<em>  
><em>Nani ka aru to sugu ni kimi ni denwa shitaku naru<em>  
><em>ZEN ZEN ki no nai furi shite mo<em>  
><em>Kekkyoku kimi no koto dake mite ita<em>  
><em>Umi no kanata e tobidasou yo Hold My Hand<em>

Sora: Wow, that was one tough Heartless.

Ike: I think we've handled things pretty well so far.

Link: I hope we find it before that Luxeta creep, if he gets it to the Horned King then Prydain is done for.

Marth: Since when have you been so doom and gloom? Isn't that Ganondorf's job? We'll do just fine.

Link: One of us has to be doubtful, that's how these previews work.

Sora: You think we can pull this off?

Ike: We're just gonna have to wait for the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Darkest Daydreams.

Bowser: Preview? Chapter? Luxeta? What are you guys talking about?

Marth: Hey, where'd you come from?

Bowser: I DON'T KNOW!

**Well, here's my first update in 2013. I don't know why it takes me so long to write these things.**

**And to TheEighthLight: You're close. Very close. And to be fair, I didn't really have enough hints for you to get it on the nose anyway.**

**This is Shao Kahn II, signing off.**


End file.
